


Dresses

by SlytherinPrincee



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Disney Princesses - Freeform, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, How do I tag?, Kinda Fluffy, Now with gay, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change, Trans Female Character, cross-dressing, man i suck at tags, mtf, non-canon trans character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:42:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22765678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherinPrincee/pseuds/SlytherinPrincee
Summary: Hotch finds Jack in a dress. Acceptance pursues.
Comments: 11
Kudos: 68





	1. Dresses

**Author's Note:**

> I had this amazing idea of Jack in a dress and so this happened.

The first time Hotch saw his son in the dress was on a Friday after he got home from work. Jack was in his room, the door barely cracked. Jessica had just left and said the boy had been put down to sleep, so Hotch went to check on him before going to bed himself. What he didn’t expect was for the lights to be on and his son to be standing in front of his mirror, simply staring at his reflection, wearing a purple dress. 

Said dress was a deep purple, with a floral lace skirt and sleeves. Around his waist was a silky purple ribbon with a purple rose. Hotch was surprised with the dress, but not the choice of colour. The young boy had always favoured the colour. 

Instead of making himself known, Hotch stood peeking into the bedroom and watching his son. Jack was smiling and twirling, enjoying seeing himself in the dress. If Hotch were honest, he hadn’t seen his kid that happy since before his mother’s death. He didn’t know how he was going to go about it, but he wasn’t going to stop Jack from wearing his dress. 

When Jack turned and made his way to the bedroom door, he noticed his father standing there. He froze and his face showed fear at getting caught in his dress, but he quickly looked down and tried to take the dress off. “I’m sorry, Daddy, you weren’t supposed to see me..” Jack apologized, and Hotch crouched down to stop his son from undressing. Seeing his father’s smile, Jack eased up a bit. 

“It’s okay, Jack. I can see that the dress makes you happy.” Jack smiled and nodded, then ran over to his closet and pushed away all the clothes until he reached the very back. Then, he pulled out three more dresses. One was black with blue floral designs, and again there was lace and sleeves. The second dress was different in that it was without lace and was off the shoulder, but it was black and had sunflowers on it. The final dress was white with red flowers, and had off-the-shoulder-sleeves with cami straps holding it up. Hotch had no idea where his son had collected the dresses, but at the moment that didn’t matter. 

“I only have these four, but the one I’m wearing is my favourite ‘cuz it’s purple. Aunt Jess bought them for me when I asked if I could have one of her old dresses.” Jack said, and Hotch nodded. That explains why they were high quality, as Jessica would only go for the best for Jack. 

“How long have you wanted to wear dresses?” Hotch asked, and Jack responded as he was putting the dresses away.  
“For a few months.. I think since Penser’s birthday. Aunt JJ showed up in a really pretty dress and I wanted to wear one too.” At the mention of Doctor Spencer Reid’s birthday, Hotch was a little shocked. That was eight months ago, which means Jack and Jessica had been keeping this a secret for a while. He couldn’t blame them though, it wasn’t exactly something you just spring on someone.

“Well, you’ll be outgrowing these ones soon, and the one you’re wearing looks a bit tight. I have tomorrow off, so how about we go shopping for new ones after lunch?” Hotch suggested, and Jack’s face lit up. He nodded excitedly and hurriedly slipped out of the purple dress, reaching into the closet and pulling out a purple night dress with long sleeves and a yellow moon. After wrestling into it, he pulled his father over to the bed to be tucked in. 

“Thank you, Daddy!” Jack near shouted, and Hotch smiled lightly when the young boy threw himself into his father’s arms. Hotch didn’t know if Jack would still want to be his little boy, but it didn’t matter. He would always be Hotch’s happiness.


	2. Playtime at the Playground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wants to wear a dress to the playground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I ended up writing another part to add to the first fic and decided to make it a series in which I can just add a new chapter when inspiration strikes. You can expect updates, but they won't be on a schedule.

The fifth time Hotch saw his son in a dress, they were getting ready for a trip to the park with JJ and Henry. Jack would’ve begged to wear a dress if Hotch hadn’t agreed when he first asked. So, the two went to the little boy’s closet to choose a dress.

“You have to wear shorts underneath if you’ll be running around,” Hotch said as his son pulled on a dark green dress. It wasn’t like most of the other dresses, as it was simpler and without ruffles or lace. There were still sleeves, and the material was a light cotton fabric that would be easy to move around in. Perfect for playing outside. 

“I know, Daddy.” Jack responded, but before Hotch could say anything else his son was pulling him out of the bedroom. The two slipped into their shoes at the door and exited the apartment. 

When they arrived at the park, Hotch searched for JJ’s familiar blonde hair. Instead, he saw a brown mop of hair sitting on a bench with Henry. Jack raced up to them excitedly, wanting to show off his dress. 

“Penser!! Look, isn’t my dress pretty?” He all but shouted, and Spencer nodded before reaching to pull Jack into a hug. The young man looked up as Hotch approached and smiled. 

“Hey, Hotch. JJ is on the phone, she should be back in a few minutes.” Spencer said, releasing the boy so he could go and play with his friend. Hotch sat down on the bench next to the genius. “How long has Jack been wearing dresses?” He asked, and Hotch remembered what Jack said when he first found out.

“About eight months, but I’ve only known for three weeks. He and Jessica kept it a secret until Jack was ready to tell me, but I walked in on him in a purple dress.” Spencer nodded, then smiled again when JJ walked up to them. 

“Hey. Will got called into work, so he won’t be coming. Where’s Jack?” At the question, Hotch pointed to where his son was playing with Henry. It seemed that Jack was playing the damsel in distress while Henry was the knight to save him. JJ nodded and sat down on Hotch’s left. 

“So, dresses? How is that working out for you guys?” She then asked, and Hotch resisted the urge to smile. 

“Good. He really likes them, and there’s no real harm in it. I’m just worried about when he gets older. People don’t really take well to men in dresses.” The two nodded in understanding. They saw things like that often, where people would kill transgender women or transvestites simply for being themselves. It was horrible. 

“Do you think it’s a phase?” Spencer asked, and Hotch sighed. He knew the younger man had plenty statistics on transgender children, what the signs were and how early the signs were likely to appear. Little boys wanting to wear dresses was definitely one of those signs. 

“Honestly? I don’t know. Right now I only know that he wants to wear them because he likes them. But if he tells me he wants to be a little girl, I won’t be too surprised.” Hotch looked back to his son and his friend, finding them sitting down and talking on the swings. 

“It’s cute how well those two get along.” JJ mentioned, and she and Spencer started a discussion on the two kids’ friendship. Eventually Henry called his mom over to help him with the monkey bars, and Spencer left to go find a bathroom. While they were gone, a woman sat down next to Hotch.

“Which one is yours?” She asked, and Hotch hesitated before pointing at where Jack was climbing a rock wall. Suddenly, he’s glad he made his boy wear shorts underneath the dress. “Aw, she’s adorable. My little girl is playing on the slides.” Hotch looked over and saw a little girl, about the age of nine, climbing up and down the slides. She was also wearing a dress with shorts underneath. “What’s your girl’s name?” And at that, Hotch panicked. 

“Uh.. Jane.” He said, picking that one because it was at least close to Jack. The woman nodded and smiled, and the two fell into a silence. Hotch watched Jack closely as he climbed back down the rock wall, and then began searching the park for Henry. Instead, a bright smile came across his face and he ran up to the woman’s daughter. They were close enough that Hotch could hear them. 

“Your dress is really pretty!” Jack said, and the girl smiled. Looking over the girl, Hotch could see why his son noticed her dress. It was also made for playtime, being light and flowy and easy to move in. However, it was white with a floral pattern on the skirt while the top had tee-shirt sleeves. It was the kind of dress that would attract Jack’s attention while shopping. 

The little girl thanked Jack and they exchanged names. Hotch then found out that her name was Riley. Then, they raced each other to the tire swing.

“Looks like our girls get along well.” The woman said, and Hotch nodded. He really didn’t know how to bring up that his girl ‘Jane’ was actually his boy Jack in a dress, and at this point he didn’t think he wanted to. “Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Olivia Walker.” The woman, now known as Oliva, said. Hotch nodded and told her his name. Just then, Spencer came back and reclaimed his seat. 

“Did Jack make a friend?” He asked, seeing the little girl playing with the cross-dressing boy. That’s when Hotch knew the not-secret was going to come out.

“Yeah. Her mom is actually right here.” At that, Hotch motioned to Olivia on his left. She was looking confused at the mention of Jack, then her face lit up with realization. 

“The two bonded over their dresses, it seems.” She added. Hotch was glad she didn’t say anything about ‘Jane.’ 

After another hour at the park, the group decided to leave for lunch. Jack ran over to his dad and jumped into his arms, wanting to be carried. JJ also picked up Henry, and they made their way to the cars after saying goodbye to Olivia and planning a playdate for Jack and Riley. They piled into their separate cars, Jack hugging Henry before clambering into the back, and drove one after the other to a small family restaurant for lunch.


	3. Meeting Resistance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack wears a dress to school, and Aaron is not happy with the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long, folks! I've been a bit busy with school and everything, but I'll hopefully be posting more soon!

The twentieth time Hotch saw his son in a dress, he had been called from work to pick up the boy after a fight. To say he was disappointed might have been an understatement. His boy was 9, almost 10, and already in the sixth grade as he had skipped fourth and fifth. Even throughout Elementary school, he had never gotten into a fight of any kind. 

This time, the boy’s dress was a dark minty green with bright pink roses decorating the skirt, and with a tee-shirt top. It was nothing unexpected, and Hotch would have seen no problem with it. Of course, that was if Jack had actually left the house in it. That morning, Jack left the house in shorts and a Star Wars shirt.

Before school began, and after his father dropped him off, Jack hid in a bathroom stall and changed his typical boyish attire for the dress. Afterwards he went through his classes with no problem, until he got to his fourth period. Another boy, aged 12, refused to work with Jack. He called him weird, a freak, gay (though with a much more disrespectful term), and all the insults under the sun. When Jack tried to say he only wore dresses because he liked them, the older boy swung at him. Jack never fought back.

“I don’t see what the issue is, ma’am.” Hotch stated, sitting in the principal’s office with his son in the seat beside him. “Jack was attacked. It’s that simple. The other kid involved should be given punishment. Not Jack.” The woman seated in the chair across from them glanced at Jack with a poorly hidden look of disgust before turning back to Hotch.

“It’s standard procedure. Both parties in a fight must receive proper consequences.” She returned, as if that fixed it all, when in fact it didn’t do anything.

“So Jack’s ‘consequence’ for being beaten up is a week suspension while the attacker only gets two days? How is that proper or fair?” The woman sighed in annoyance, looking as if she would rather be anywhere else.

“The other boy claims Jack swung first. Therefore, he was only acting in self-defense.” At that, Hotch was ready to start throwing punches of his own. His son was riddled with bruises, while the other kid didn’t have a scratch on him. Then, Hotch inwardly smiled as he remembered his power play. Being a lawyer had its perks.

“What about the camera footage? This event occurred less than ten feet away from a camera, surely there must be evidence. If Jack struck first, I want to see proof.” The principal’s eyes widened by a fraction, and she glared at seemingly nothing before reaching onto her desk and picking up the phone.

________________________________________

By the time everything was settled, it was around the time Hotch usually got off work. The two were driving home after stopping at a local Chinese place for dinner.

“Daddy? Is this why you never wanted me to wear my dresses to school?” Jack asked, using his straw to mix around his drink. Hotch sighed and nodded.

“People don’t take well to boys in dresses, bud. I was afraid someone might do something like this.” The father responded. Jack was silent for the next moment before speaking up again.

“Then I don’t wanna be a boy anymore! I wanna have long hair and cute dresses and be pretty in school.” Jack near shouted, and Hotch felt that small moment of panic most parents do after such a declaration.

“Are you sure, Jack? That’s a big step. I don’t mind, but… I want you to be sure of what you want.” Jack just smiled and nodded excitedly, going off into a rant about all the cute styles he could put his hair in if it were longer, and the idea of finally inviting all his girl friends over for a slumber party. It was then that Hotch knew he never really had a little boy. “Well, if you’re going to be a little girl then I can’t keep calling you ‘Jack,’ can I?” Hotch asked, scared of the answer he would receive but prepared to support his child through anything. Immediately after he asked the question, Jack’s face lit up.

“Julia! I wanna be Julia! Pencer and I talked ‘bout it when he took me to the museum, what I would wanna be called if I were a girl instead.” Hotch nodded and pulled into the driveway of their small house, exiting the driver seat and going around to the trunk to get Jack’s bag.

“Well then, Julia you are. Remember, though, people at school are still going to call you Jack and call you a boy unless you tell them. You don’t have to tell them if you don’t want to. We should tell Auntie Jess, though.” The two then entered the house and prepared for bed, Jack - now Julia - smiling as _she_ fell asleep.


	4. Happy Birthday, Julie!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Julia's tenth birthday, and Hotch throws her the princess party of her dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big oof, I'm sorry an update took this long! As I said, there's no set schedule, and I've not been too inspired for this story recently. I had the beginning down but left it unfinished. I only now completed it. Hopefully updates churn out faster! 
> 
> p.s.- Sorry it's kinda short!

The first time the team saw Julia was at her tenth birthday. Hotch couldn’t deny his daughter, so she got to design every single thing about the party - from the guests to the decor. The cake, however, was left a surprise for the little girl.

Julia’s dress for this special day was, of course, special. The little girl had wanted a Disney Princess theme, so she decided to go with her favourite princess; Merida. Hotch got her Merida’s dress, and added in the invitations that it was encouraged to show up as a princess (though not required). When guests began to arrive, the first to show was, obviously, David Rossi.

In a Cinderella gown. It made Julia laugh, and Dave’s only excuse was that Hotch encouraged princess attire. Hotch had meant that for the children, but Rossi refused to acknowledge that part. Next to show was JJ and Will, with Henry in a small prince outfit. Julia immediately pulled the younger boy into the living room to play and build a fort, while Henry’s parents stayed and talked to Hotch.

JJ was dressed as Aurora, and Will had come as Phillip. It was a cute couple costume. Of course, though, Penelope went all out. When she arrived, Hotch had to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.

Garcia had gotten a wig, an extremely long wig, and dressed in Rapunzel’s outfit. The wig dragged about seven feet behind her as she walked, and eventually Hotch picked up the hair and asked her to keep it up so it wasn’t a tripping hazard.

The last three (of Hotch’s team) to show up were Spencer, Morgan, and Emily. Morgan, beyond all realms of possibility, showed up as Princess Tiana. Green gown and all. Emily went for Snow White, and Spencer opted for a male version of Princess Belle. In which, he was wearing a yellow suit with a red rose in the breast pocket. Hotch would be lying if he said he didn’t stare just a little.

“Morgan, you look… very beautiful.” Hotch commented, and the dark-skinned man rolled his eyes before sitting down at the dining table.

“Yeah, yeah, blame Penny. She cornered me before the party and forced me into it. Threatened my manhood if I didn’t wear this.” Hotch nodded in understanding. That woman could be downright frightening at times, and it made you comply out of pure fear.

As other parents showed up, with their daughters all dressed as their favourite princesses, Hotch started talking to parents and introducing himself. Of course, he had talked to most parents over the phone, but it wasn’t the same as in person.

Eventually the living room got crowded with both parents and children, so Hotch invited them all into the backyard. He had a trampoline that Julia had asked for a while back, and there was a swing set with a slide. He was sure the kids would figure something out. A few parents chose to stay inside, but most followed their children out the back door.

On a table to the left was a selection of foods, from hotdogs to burgers, and Dave was manning the grill. He and Hotch had fought over it for a solid five minutes before Hotch decided it wasn’t worth it and let Dave have his fun. There was also the cake on a table next to it, but Hotch had it in the box so no one could see it.

Soon enough, it was time for dinner. Dave piled the different meats onto plates for people to take as they pleased, and Hotch brought out some of the side foods he had prepared beforehand. Once everything was set out, people lined up to pick their food.

They had set up a few tables for everyone, pushed together so there was enough room, and Julia got a special seat at the head of the large table. Hotch was to her right and the rest of his team was spread out. They wanted the birthday girl to have fun eating with her friends. Hotch talked to another father that was sat next to him, and occasionally snuck glances at Spencer.

Hotch excused himself from his seat when he noticed that the majority of the party were finished or near finished with their food, and went to get the cake. It was a pretty pink, with Disney princesses and the words “Happy Birthday Julie!” written in frosting gel. He carefully stuck ten candles into the cake and lit them, carrying the sweet treat over to the table.

Once he sat it down in front of his daughter, everyone began singing. It was horribly off-key, but that made no difference. Julia was smiling widely the whole time and happily blew out her candles, then Hotch cut the cake and put pieces onto plates for everyone to get some.

The party couldn’t last forever, unfortunately. After presents it started to get dark, so parents began taking their children home. They thanked him for the fun and the food, and once everyone had left Hotch plopped onto the couch with his daughter. The team were outside cleaning; he insisted on helping, but they shoved him inside and said he deserved some alone time with his girl.

“That was really fun, thank you daddy!” Julia said, pouncing on Hotch and wrapping him in her small arms. Hotch smiled and hugged her back.

“Anything for you, princess.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think, should I add some background Aaron/Spencer? The main focus will be on Hotch and Julia's relationship, obviously, but it could definitely be fun. Who doesn't want two dads, am I right? 
> 
> I'm keeping the rating as General for now, but if I do add some non-platonic relationships as part of the main story then I'll change it to match.


	5. Back in the Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After encouragement from his daughter, Hotch gets the boost he needs to ask Spencer Reid on a date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive
> 
> This one is centered around Julia supporting her dad, the last bit is about Hotch and Reid. Later chapters will focus more on their relationship (and I'll make a few chapters for Julia and Reid, too). 
> 
> Also, I'm writing this at like midnight while high off my ass so there's that

Julia may only be ten, but she's not oblivious. Perhaps it's from being around profilers so often that she can see right through her dad. It should be obvious to anyone that he's got the hots for his teammate, Spencer Reid. She tells him as much. 

  


It was a late Saturday night when Julia sat with her dad on the couch. They were watching Disney movies, and Hotch was playing with her hair. It had grown down to her shoulders by then. "Why don't you ever tell him, daddy?" She asks, her eyes still focused on the TV. Hotch furrowed his eyebrows. 

"Tell who, what?" He asked in return. Julia rolled her eyes as if it should be obvious and turned to face him. 

"Spencer! You clearly like him, and I know he likes you. Why don't you tell him?" Hotch smiled lightly and let out a small laugh. 

"Very funny. Reid is straight, even if I did like him I wouldn't have a chance." He responded. Julia sat up on her knees and crossed her arms. 

"If he likes girls only then why does he stare at your butt all the time?" Hotch's eyes widened. "I see him looking every time the team comes over. He doesn't even look at Uncle Derek's butt or Uncle Dave's butt, so he only likes you!" Julia smiled when Hotch didn't say anything, and turned back to the TV. "Besides, I hear Uncle Dave tell Spencer all the time to, 'get some.' Not sure what that means but I think it's a good thing." At that, Hotch had to hold back his laugh. 

"Okay, okay, but from now on don't eavesdrop on adult conversations. Especially Dave's." 

  


The next time Hotch went into work, he was actually nervous. _Why did I let her convince me into this?_ He asked himself, sitting at the round table as JJ presented their newest case. Thankfully, he had a case as a distraction so he had more time to work up the courage. 

This case was one of their more mild ones. It was never easy, don't get him wrong, but some cases were better than others. Mild cases were easy distractions, less mentally and physically tolling. They were never happy, no cases ever are unless they end well, but a distraction is a distraction. 

After only a couple days of work, Spencer reached the conclusion that led to a breakthrough in the case. It wasn't long afterwards that they were watching their unsub be walked off in handcuffs, and the team were planning a bar night to celebrate. They'd managed to get their man before anyone else was hurt, so it was cause for some drinks. 

On their way home, Hotch grabbed a seat next to Spencer. 

"Hey, Hotch, what's up?" Spencer asked, quickly glancing up from his book to look at Hotch. 

"I was.. I was wondering if you'd like to get dinner with me after we land. A new restaurant opened up recently and I've heard it's good." Spencer smiled and nodded. 

"Yeah, yeah I'd like that." 

If you listened hard enough, you would've been able to hear the rest of the team's simultaneous "finally!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's short, again, but what do you expect? My inspo comes in bursts. If I tried to write longer chapters, you'd never get updates. 
> 
> TBH, I'm kinda shocked I'm even uploading again after only one day. I just had the sudden burst of motivation after I got like two comments saying they wanted Hotch/Reid.


End file.
